NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion Football Monarchs finished the 2011 campaign ranked at No. 10 in the Final Sports Network/Fathead.Com FCS Top 25 poll released on Monday.

Since restarting its football team in 2009, Old Dominion has become the winningest start-up program in FCS history with a three-year total of 27 wins and only eight losses. In the 2011 season, the Monarchs concluded the regular season at 9-2 overall and 6-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association, a league which sent five teams to the post-season. The Monarchs, picked to finish 10th in the CAA Preseason Poll, ended the year in a tie for second place in the conference. ODU made its first post-season appearance in 2011, advancing to the second round of the FCS playoffs.

Old Dominion made its first Top 25 appearance on October 3rd, 2011 coming in at No. 21 following its victory over then-#20 Massachusetts, 48-33. The Monarchs steadily climbed up the ranks, cracking the Top-10 in the TSN Poll following its regular season finale at William & Mary and carried its No. 10 ranking into the post-season.

The No. 10 ranking is Old Dominion's highest in the TSN Poll. The Monarchs ranked as high as No. 9 in the FCS Coaches Poll.

The Monarchs are one of six Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) squads featured in the final poll. Maine, which advanced to the FCS quarterfinals, came in at No. 8, followed by CAA Champion Towson at No. 9. New Hampshire, which joined the Monarchs as one of five CAA teams to reach the post-season, followed ODU in the poll at No. 11. James Madison, who the Monarchs defeated for their first ever Top-10 victory, came in at No. 15 while Delaware rounds out the CAA schools in the Top 25 at No. 17.

The Monarchs will meet four of the ranked CAA teams in 2012 - No. 9 Towson (Oct. 20), No. 11 New Hampshire (Sept. 22), No. 15 James Madison (Nov. 17), and No. 17 Delaware (Oct. 27). ODU will also face William & Mary (Nov. 11), as well as Duquesne (Sept. 1) in non-conference action, who were both receiving votes in the final poll.